Kiryu-Kun

The chances of this being better than Yakuza 0 are slim to none and slim just left town, but nevetheless I'm really pumped it got a 10. The more attention and sales the Yakuza series gets the better.

I've almost finished Yakuza 7, then I'll play Gaiden, then Infinite Wealth.

Yakuza 7 is brilliant just like almost all of Ryu Ga Gotoku's games, but still not a patch on Yakuza 0. Yakuza 0 is one of the best games I've ever played.

I just wish they still had realtime combat, I love the combat in Yakuza.

Same. Morrowind would be a close third in my most wanted remasters after Wave Race 64 and Mario 64

@LunarFlame17 I completely agree. I loved Morrowind even though RPGs aren't really my thing, especially more traditional fantasy style western RPGs like Morrowind.

But man, what a game, it was good enough that I find it extremely immersive and engrossing even though it's not my genre of choice.

Funnily enough after trying both Skyrim and Oblivion in recent years and not really liking either of them, I was wondering if it was just me who much prefers Morrowind

Despite the rudimentary graphics, Morrowind had a certain sincerity, depth, atmosphere and sense of immersion that is unmatched by any other RPG I've played.

@themightyant Yes, got to be honest, I found the mention of Sunset Overdrive a bit strange. A game like that was obviously never going to be a GOTY contender, not to mention the fact that it didn't review very well as you said.

FH2 on the other hand could have been nominated. It's an excellent game, and did review very well, and was considered to be groundbreaking for the open world driving genre.

@awp69 Oh I see, wow, how absolutely bizarre. Until now I had no idea it was released on the PS4

I only played it for the first time recently, and just assumed it was an Xbox/PC exclusive.

No mention of Titanfall 2? It's one of the absolute best shooters I've ever played. Incredible game, very spectacular campaign.

@DoctorJohnDisco Exactly. Weird flex isn't it? It always surprises me when people show stuff like this. "Look how filthy my home is and how uncared for my stuff is"

I've had mine for 2 years and it still looks like new. This guy must have not hoovered his place once in 3 years

I'd love to play Gaiden, but have to finish Like a Dragon first. Tbh should probably play Yakuza 4,5,6 before Like a Dragon to avoid spoilers. I thought it was a comple spinoff when I started it, had no idea it had anything to do with the main series.

@FraserG you should be ashamed of yourself, go and play Yakuza 0 right now

One of the best games ever made IMO.

I really enjoyed the demo, expected slightly better scores.

I guess in the current era we're in, gamers and critics alike are very demanding, with extremely high expectactions - games are expected to have everything, and a huge amount of variety. In contrast with say, Ridge Racer 1 and its 1 track

So maybe it's considered a bit basic and repetitive for a modern game.

Then again roguelikes such as Hades get 10/10 and that's about as repetitive as it gets

Some games get away with repetition far more than others it seems.

@Pimpernel Fair point actually, it's a lot of extra sales. I was more thinking of the "system seller" angle and making up market share Vs Playstation.

Microsoft probably knows what they're doing, surely more than me

However the deal does make me a bit concerned for Microsoft/Xbox. $70 billion seems they overpaid like crazy, for essentially Call of Duty, which doesn't seem as big a deal as it once was. And what's more, they had to agree to various concessions to even allow the deal to happen - ie keeping it multiplatform for 10 years. That's a long time.

If they were allowed to make it XBox exclusive immediately, perhaps it would go some way to bridging the gap to Sony and the PS5, which is outselling the Xboxes 2:1.

But now? I'm not sure how keeping it multiplatform is really going to do much to claw back the marketshare they had in the 360 era, or come close to making back that $70 billion.

i tHoUgHT iT wAs jUsT a mS eMpLoYeE tRoLLiNg

Superb, Forza and a new Yakuza in the same month ^_^

Visually this doesn't do it for me, but it's from the lead gameplay designer of Inside, then I must play it.

@ironcrow86 Well exactly, the moves in MK are fun in an OTT way, that's why I said it's great as a casual fighter. The cinematics are unmatched.

But as opposed to a technical fighter with bags of depth, it's more of a party game like Smash Bros, only ultra violent

@ZuneTattooGuy The MK character design is great. I love the look of the characters and some of their moves, especially finishing moves obviously.

But in terms of the mechanics, they are too similar. The variety of playstyles in Street Fighter is staggering - so many different normals, specials, supers, different forms of zoning and rushdown, all while being very balanced and having great matchups.

Also even though I like USF4 has the best roster by far, of any Street Fighter, I quite like some of the new characters in SF6. Certainly more than SF5. Manon, Kimberly, Jamie and JP are all good. As far as classic characters, DeeJay, Blanka, Honda are all superb in this game. Dhalsim is also pretty good. Design wise Ken is horrible, but gameplay wise he is incredible. The ultimate rushdown.

I like Street Fighter because of the gameplay, mechanics, and satisfaction of pulling off great sequences.

No other fighting game compares with the feeling of doing a string of parries in SF3 and then unleashing a Super, or in SF4 doing a cross up into jab jab CMK Superb, or with Balrog getting a jump in into crouching jab x 3, headbutt into Ultra.

The input requirements are high compared to other fighting games, including 1 frame links in SF4 and even stuff that's taken for granted like SRK > FADC > Ultra, it's hard to pull. But when you master Street Fighter the core gameplay has a level of satisfaction and engagement far beyond any other fighting game imo.

As far as 2d (2.5d) fighters go, Killer Instinct is the only one that comes close for me. That game is underrated, and I'd love to see a sequel.

@ZuneTattooGuy I'm no fan of eSports, but I'm talking about the Street Fighter tournament scene that predates eSports by 20 years, including the epic Daigo Vs JWong showdown in 3rd Strike etc.

There is a reason why Street Fighter is always the main event at evo - it's the best fighting game there is, on a technical/mechanical level.

@ZuneTattooGuy There's a reason why Street Fighter has always been the #1 fighter for competitive play, and tournaments. The core mechanics are the best. Precise, technical, generally well balanced, with some brilliant variety in characters and gameplay styles.

@ironcrow86 Only if you're an absolute casual and can't even do a fireball from the right side of the screen

Street Fighter has always been the best fighting game series since the original SF2, and still is.

@ZuneTattooGuy And yet as a fighting game, SF6 blows it out of the water.

@FenIsMightier Fair post. As a casual experience, especially single player, MK1 is probably a lot of fun. Looks really nice too, I love the visuals and character designs.

But as a fighting game? IMO nothing comes close to SF3, SF4 and SF6. They are as precise and technical as it gets, while still being extremely fun. The mechanics are amazing.

Better than SF6? The more thought or notion or idea is outright blasphemous

Nice. It's a good idea for console lovers, especially those of us who have fond memories of consoles since childhood etc

I should read more stuff on Time Extension, the few articles I've read there have been good and interesting.

@themcnoisy Inside is incredible. I enjoyed every minute of it. Intense, cinematic, intriguing, compelling - probably one of the most memorable games I've played.

@InfamousOrange Considering Gran Turismo 1 was the #1 best selling game on the PS1, and that in the many years since then every new Gran Turismo or Forza is a big deal, and even games like Assetto Corsa are some of the most played driving games on Steam, then yes

Not to mention Euro Truck Simulator 2 being one of the best popular driving games on Steam too.

I'm happy with my original SeriesX with disc drive etc, especially as this one is the same hardware, ie not a "pro".

However I sure do wish the existing SeriesX came with a USB-C port, kind of bizarre it doesn't for modern hardware.

I tried Crew Motorfest today, and tbh I was kind of stunned by how bad it is compared to Forza Horizon 4 and 5.

Beforehand I thought it was a bit weird how much of a Forza copycat it was, including the whole Motor"fest" theme. But thought oh well, I love driving games, it might be fun anyway.

But man, the physics are laughably bad, especially the "drifting" with just a fake rotation angle snapped on, and no semblance of actual car physics. The sense of speed is also terrible, Forza feels about twice as fast, and Forza is so far ahead in everything else it's not even funny - the world design, the visuals, the races, the road network, the upgrade system, the events, the AI, the animals, the offroading.

If you're going to do arcade handling, at least do it well and make it fast and snappy and precise like Outrun 2 or Ridge Racer, but this game feels so slow and imprecise and wallowy, yet still basic and arcadey with terrible fake drifting.

I played Forza Horizon 4 immediately afterwards and thought wow, now this is a proper driving game

It makes you realise how good Forza's physics are, perfect simcade. Accessible and fun, yet realistic enough with enough weight and inertia to feel like you're driving a car, and solid drift physics with countersteering.

I've only played 3 Besthesda games.

Bear in mind I'm more of an arcade gamer, I love fighting games and driving games, not RPGs. But I absolutely loved Morrowind and Fallout 3. Very engaging, and very unique for the time they were released.

But I tried Skyrim and kind of hated it. Whereas Morrowind and Fallout 3 seemed great and kind of next gen in their respective eras, Skyrim seemed so clunky and dated even around the time it was released.

My vote would be Morrowind then.

I am really looking forward to playing Starfield though, when I get a break from work

That is extremely good, probably better than I expected.

To put it in perspective - GTA 5 is the second best selling game ever, and Starfield is extremely close to GTA's all time peak of 364,000.

Please don't give it Need for Speed baby physics like the recent two Grids. The difference in physics between Autosport and the recent two Grids is staggering.

@Kaloudz I won't argue with that. Me personally, I don't really need a story in driving games or fighting games, I just love great physics/world design/mechanics.

But for those who like a solid story even in driving games, admittedly the better NFS games do cutscenes and story far better than Forza, which is an absolute cringefest especially FH5

This looks superb, I wish more FPS games were like this.

@Kaloudz But Forza Horizon is much better than Need for Speed, so they don't need to rival it

@Pranwell Good man, Forza Horizon 4 in particular is superb, one of the best driving games ever made. Everything about it is spot on.

@Gr81 Unsurprisingly he didn't respond to your post listing all the mediocre Sony exclusives

@nickwpearce

Tbh I haven't even played GT7, so I couldn't tell you how good it looks or plays in reality. And I do agree that physics in GT historically are a bit on the stiff and janky side, and IMHO not really that sim like. I think the Forza Series and Assetto Corsa both have significantly better physics.

But just from videos and screenshots of GT7 - even though it can look a bit clinical at times like all Gran Turismos - at its best it is a very attractive game, and at a glance can look strikingly real. As Forza Horizon 4 always did, especially at max settings.

Regarding this game, all I can say is visually it appears to be underwhelming. It should still be an excellent game though, I do fully expect the physics to be better than GT7.

What I really hope for is the drift physics to be legit, hopefully as close to Assetto Corsa as possible

@Sol4ris We'll see when it's released. I actually hope you're right, as I don't have a PS5, and I do have a SeriesX and GP.

But those screenshots above aren't exactly filling me with confidence, even factoring in the obvious quality of the captures and compression artifacts. Same for recent actual gameplay footage, ie not trailer footage.

FWIW I still think Forza Horizon 4 is the best looking racing game, better than GT7.

@Sol4ris I couldn't be any less of a Sony fanboy - I don't have a PS4 or PS5. The most recent Sony console I got was a PS3, and I much preferred my 360.

Not only that but I'm a huge fan of the SeriesX, and consider it kind of the ultimate home console.

This is a simple case of GT7 vs the new Forza Motorsport, and objectively I can see GT7 looks much better. Tbh it's literally the only game that makes buying a PS5 remotely tempting.

Again, I am really looking forward to playing the new FM and I hope it's legit, but visually the actual gameplay footage seems a bit underwhelming compared to the beauty shots and initial reveal footage.

@nickwpearce Sure, just like a PS3 game.

https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gran-turismo-7-ps5-4k-101-1030x579.jpeg

https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gran-turismo-7-ps5-4k-18-1030x579.jpeg

https://kotaku.com/gran-turismo-7-polyphony-digital-ps5-balance-rewards-up-1848766803

https://www.gran-turismo.com/images/c/i17oFyJlwnfmI.jpg

For reference, here is a PS3 game

https://www.gamereactor.eu/media/98/granturismo5_229829b.jpg

https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/917/9176928/2399655-gt6_screen1.jpg

@InterceptorAlpha Forget about the tachometer, it would at least be nice to have an in game wheel that turns more than 90 degrees

I have to echo other people's comments here, the initial reveal looked really good overall, but in retrospect it was a bit "bullshot"y.

Since then the actual in game footage looks a bit underwhelming. GT7 like all Gran Turismos can look a bit clinical, but at its best is an incredible looking game.

Hopefully this new Forza looks good enough at least, and crucially - has good physics and content.

@GamingFan4Lyf Agreed.

I still think the SeriesX represents amazing value for money, and especially closer to its launch when GPU prices were really high, it was widely recognised how much you were getting for your money.

But be that as it may, it's a £450 console, so yes expectations really do need to be firmly checked when comparing it to the capabilities of high gaming PCs costing £2000+.

It's perhaps a case of marketing blurb backfiring a bit, with many people who aren't tech experts, believing the console could and should be outputting 4k 120hz with raytracing

To be honest, I really like my SeriesX.

Yes it's true that there aren't many games that are exclusive, so the next gen wow factor is minimal, but I think it has enough to feel very next gen compared to the previous gen.

For starters, Microsoft Flight Sim and Plague Tale look excellent and "next gen" in their own ways, and Forza Horizon 4 and 5 running at 4k60 both look stunning and pretty next gen compared to anything the previous gen could produce.

For me personally I love the backwards compatibility and the resolution bump and FPS boost the SeriesX provides.

Even though I have a more powerful PC, the SeriesX very much feels next gen in its own way - the combination of backwards compatibility on steroids, quick resume, fast loading times, and just the overall convenience of a console makes it feel like a perfect gaming machine.

I particularly love playing everything from 360 classics to the Yakuza series, enhanced, as well us current titles performing brilliantly like Forza.

@Kezelpaso I'm also from the UK

And yeah it looks like I'll have to find a nice condition RR6 disc, I've been a bit spoiled by the digital age and never having to change disks. But RR6 is worth it

It is strange though isn't, that it's on the US Xbox store.

@Kezelpaso Same here. As a big fan of the 360, it is like a dream come true being able to play some of my favourite 360 games at 4k60 on the completely silent SeriesX

I just wish we could buy/play Ridge Racer 6 and Outrun 2

@EvenStephen7 I'm not sure I would consider Forza Horizon 4 and 5 as niche

Maybe I'm looking at it naively, but as a fan of Xbox/Microsoft I've been hoping the deal doesn't go through.

Considering the concessions that need to be made, and not even being able to make COD an immediate exclusive, it seems like almost 100 billion is massively overpaying for basically COD and Candy Crush.

It's not like COD is at its peak either, far from it. At the time the price seemed high, now given the proposed concessions, it seems absurdly high.

@Banjo- My thoughts exactly. Seems like such a bizarre choice for almost a billion, what are they expecting them to make, an Angry Birds sequel on console?

Even though Angry Birds was huge at one point, somewhat surprisingly it has been outlasted by quite a few other huge mobile games.

I love my SeriesX, I've said before I ultimately find it to be a better, more fun gaming machine than my gaming PC with 3070 (the interface, accessibility, quick resume etc). But I really hope this isn't a trend, more stuff being 30fps only.

It does seem to be a somewhat inevitable part of a console cycle, pushing graphical fidelity at the expense of framerate. I was hoping this generation would be different, the horsepower combined with the trend of having more choice (ie quality/performance modes).

If that does happen, I suppose I'll have to play most new games on PC.